That is, if I plug an ethernet to a usb-c adapter that plugs into back of the monitor and plug the MacBook Pro into the monitor with usb-c will the ethernet pass through the monitor to the laptop? Rather than having to manually connect the ethernet each time?

The other answer is wrong, it does support pass through ethernet, aka if you plug your computer into the monitor and connecting ethernet adapter directly to the monitor or through a hub with ethernet works perfectly.